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Friday, December 16, 2011

This is Qatar.

This is Qatar.

As most of you know i was previously living in Qatar before i came back to England to finish Further Education. The first question i get when i mention Qatar is "What is it like?" and then i have to give a long detailed explanation of what Qatar is like and the lovely people that make the country, then generally someone else will butt into the conversation and want me to explain again; but now i can just direct them to this post. I will let the pictures and the Videos speak for themselves. ( There are 2 videos that start automatically so make sure your sound is not full volume, scroll down and pause them then read the rest of the post!

I was asked by a fellow friend last night who is from Qatar, to give you an insight of what Qatar is like. So for those of you who don't know where Qatar is, its in the Middle East, next to Dubai and Saudi Arabia, and no, its not compulsorily to wear the black 'thing' (Abaya) and no, its not just desert and yes they have Mcdonalds and everyone lives in houses not tents, oh and we all ride on camels,Not. Thats the problem, before even knowing what the country is like, automatically people stereotype but i hope to change your mind about Qatar. From grains of sand to sprouts of grass, from the daily camel to the daily Ferrari, tents of tradition to architecture of style, knowledge from experience to world class education. Qatar is growing incredibly fast, everyday one can look out their window and see a new building or something new happening, the development of Qatar is immense and new jobs and opportunities are being created. They also happen to be known as one of the richest countries in the world, and they own quite allot of London including the famous Harrods building, and they are hosting the world cup 2022. As you can tell, Qatar is booming at the moment.

The weather:

The weather has perks but also lows, the winters are just perfect, the sun shines yet a nice cold breeze is present, pleasant to walk outside, however summer time July/August is very hot and humid, if one is to choose to walk outside, i think they may just melt or look like they just went swimming. Overall the weather is great except from summers where everyone stays inside, but every single building in Qatar is equipped with air conditioners even the outside football stadium!

The people: In Qatar there are around 1.5million inhabitants and there are only a small amount of Qataris (20% of the population) and the rest are foreigners who come to work. The Qatari people are so respectful and kind and the loveliest people i have ever met, they are always willing to help. The main religion in Qatar is Islam, and certain traditions still remain the same such as girls wearing the Abaya, but now its not just a long black robe, they have started adding colour, fabrics, embroiderer and ideas to shape the new generation Abaya which is Fashionable but still modest. The males wear Thobes, which is a long white robe and wear the Egal and Ghutra on their heads. Foreigners are free to wear what they want in consideration. There is no law to what people should wear but respect always comes first.

Language: Arabic is the official language, however most people know how to speak English.

Education: There are various schools, there are Arabic schools, English schools, American schools and a few more. Qatar Foundation is a big part of Qatar as they have the best leading American Universities and create work opportunities for Qatars young people. The universities they have are Texas A&M university, Weill Cornell Medical College, Georgetown University of Foreign Service, Carnegie Mellon University, Northwestern University, HEC Paris,Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts,Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies and University College London. The universities in the campus have been designed by some of the worlds greatest architects.

Places to Visit: There are a lot of places to visit but i will list the main sites one must go to if they visit Qatar.

-Villagio Mall: This mall is such a great place to go, they have designed the interior like the streets of Italy, with a river passing through the mall and Gondolas too. When you look up, the sky has been painted on the ceiling making you feel like your actually outside. The mall has practically a lot of shops that England have like Topshop, to River Island , to Footlocker and Boots, it also has Dolce&Gabanna, LV, Gucci etc. The mall has an ice skating rink, an indoor theme park, cinemas, food court with all the fast food restaurants you can imagine and one large supermarket too. The Website http://www.villaggioqatar.com/

- The Pearl: Lots of designer shops, yachts, expensive apartments...oh and its also built on water!

- Katara ( Cultural Village): Lots of exhibitions take place, gorgeous restaurants, an amphitheater looking over the waterfront. Check out the Website, its one of my favorite places to go. http://www.katara.net/

- Souq Waqif:Souq Waqif is one of the most traditional marketplaces in Qatar where visitors can buy spices, perfumes and garments and eat local food. Its just a great place to relax with friends or family and you can also buy pets like tortoises,birds,cats and many more cute animals.Check out the video!

-Islamic Arts Museum: An amazing piece of architecture, it showcases a selection of Islamic artifacts. The building was actually designed by Chinese American architect Leoh Min Pe who is the designer of the Louvre in Pyramid and one of the most celebrated architects in the world today.

- Sea Line: On the outskirts of the City Doha, Sealine is the desert where its full of fun and adventure, quad biking, camel rides, drifting across the sand dunes, BBQ's and much more. There are so many activities to do there and there's also a resort so you wont miss out on the fun. A lot of people choose to camp too.

- Al Cornish:Al-Corniche is a road stretching four miles along the harbor, Aside from the traditional sailing boats known as dhows and the beautiful Indian Ocean waterfront, there are just stunning high rise buildings everywhere all designed uniquely. A lot of people walk the 4 miles or even jog for exercise, along the way little shops sell Karak (tea) which is a must to drink if you go to the Cornish. Im absolutely in love with it!

Watch these videos they really show what Qatar is really like.

Some random snap shots.

Taken with my mobile phone At the Cornish

Qatar National Day where everyone dress's up in the flag colours and parade down the Cornish with loud music and firework displays, everyone decorates their cars, sit on top of their cars and let loose. This Website has photos,videos everything of Qatar! Everyone is getting ready right now for Qatar Nation day in just a few days!

Yep that's the Camel we all go to work on.

This place is amazing, literally in the middle of the desert it was used for a film and then they just left it there for everyone to explore. Its called the Film Set.

Now you know what Qatar is like you can see why i love the place so much. Hopefully i will go back to Qatar soon, as i met some amazing inspirational people.

I changed my layout slightly as my posts are quite long with images, so i thought this would an easier way for you all to scroll down my page, rather than scrolling for ages trying to get to a specific post. I also introduced a new feature where you can rate the post either funny , interesting or cool, as i know a lot of you cannot be bothered going through the procedure of commenting, this is just one click!

P.s. If any of you take photos of Qatar National Day send them by Email to me and i will post them on my blog with your name and link, so get clicking and sending !